Monday, March 17, 2014

Welcome to our first blog tour post. I'm excited to be featuring a book that I sincerely enjoyed and loved. It certainly exceeded all my expectations but I think I should save that information for my review...Please read on for quotes I loved and much more!

For Charlie, a post-high school road trip isn't just a vacation, it's life changing. While her parents think she's helping a friend move, a chance at fame is the real reason to grab her best friends and drive to L.A. But when her super annoying, uber-responsible, younger sister, Lucy, has to tag along, it isn't quite the summer of fun she imagined.

Add in a detour to her grandparents' ranch in Texas, and between mucking the stalls, down-home cookin’, and drool worthy ranch hands, this could just turn into the best, and most complicated, summer of their lives.

What I Thought:

I'm going to have to keep this as short and sweet as possible, especially since I have so many favorite quotes I want to share with you all. At first glance the cover caught my eye. Upon perusal of the blurb, I must admit that it was partly the road trip with siblings that intrigued me, but it was the mention of distracting cowboys that sold me on reading this book. However, once I got started, it was Charlie and Lucy that made me truly fall for this book.

One of my favorite things about the book was the dynamic between Charlie and Lucy. It's funny how two girls so different from each other in temperament could be so similar when it came to everything else. Of course this was easy to see in the dual points of view. I literally wanted to reach into my computer and give them bear hugs while reassuring them it would be okay. I really wanted to console them regarding the various issues they were facing, especially since I can recall being in their shoes at one point or another in my life. That's the beauty of this book. Charlie and Lucy could easily be you or me. Of course it might be skateboarders, jocks, science nerds, etc. instead of cowboys, but you get my drift.

I was so surprised when I got to the acknowledgements because I was hoping I'd turn the page and there would be more to read. I wasn't ready to let the girls and the farm go. I am seriously keeping my fingers crossed that I will get to read/see Charlie and Lucy again, as well as some cowboys, the farm, and Nan and Pop, the grandparents. I want to continue with them on their journeys and maybe even read more about the rest of Panacea: Hope, Cassie, and Jade. I love the name of the group by the way... I also love how the book could be considered young adult or clean new adult. I guess a short and sweet review wasn't meant to be...

Favorite Quotes:

Please remember these quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not be found in the final published book. I also had a whole bunch more but thought you might not like them as much as I did, so I left them out.

-"His body takes over my space. He used to be scrawny, I remember that. Now I can see the work he does with the horses etched in his arms. Makes me want to see if he has a six-pack under his shirt."

-"To be honest, as sad as this sounds, I didn't realize Charlie worried about me like that. I mean, I know she loves me. I think.

But she realized I was gone. And she dropped everything to find me.

Suddenly I feel a little less lost."

-"I love music. But it doesn't have a place out here among nature. There's something soothing about connecting my footfalls with my breathing and the symphony of sounds around me. Music can't compete."

-"I love listening to the poetry people create when they write songs. A twist of words can mean so much more than each word itself."

"One single note is nothing special, but when combined with others it becomes magical."

"He's the one who showed me there are different ways a person can be intelligent."

Kelley Lynn was born and raised a Midwestern girl. She’s not afraid to sweat and fills her free time with softball, soccer and volleyball. (Though you probably don’t want her on your volleyball team.) She occasionally makes guest appearances as a female vocalist for area bands. Music plays a large role in her writing process as well as the characters and plot lines within her stories.